Our only hope
by liberian-girl
Summary: Letters between Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort, that lead up to Voldemort trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone


Our only hope  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fic, just the idea. The plot and all characters, Lucius and Draco Malfoy, Lord Voldemort and Tom Riddle are all J.K.Rowling's.  
  
A/N: Sometimes the dates are the same on the letters - this shows the urgency in the way the pair are writing to each other and I have added times so it can include the owl's journey. It probably isn't possible but hey!  
July 25th  
  
My Lord,  
  
Everything is in place. The plan will go into action on 31st July.  
  
Lucius  
  
July 27th  
  
Lucius,  
  
Excellent. I knew one of you was good for something.  
  
Tom (I'm using this in case this gets intercepted. Please call me Tom from now on. It may be advisable that you change your name too, for security reasons)  
  
July 29th  
  
Lucius,  
  
I'm judging that from the lack of reply from yourself that all is fine and that the plan is still to go ahead. I'm now back in the country, living off another. I'll see you in Diagon Alley at twelve noon.  
  
Tom  
  
July 30th (10am)  
  
Tom,  
  
Apologies for no reply. You must tell me what your new form looks like so I can spot you.  
  
Draco (I'm using my son's name. Even I'm starting to believe that these letters could look a little dodgy.)  
  
July 30th (6pm)  
  
Draco,  
  
FOOL! You have forgotten one minor detail. I will not give myself away. Haven't you forgotten about the 'scar' on your arm? This is disgraceful behaviour and you know what happens to those who do not remember everything. Anyway, if you are still in a dumb-founded frame of mind, look for a man with a mauve turban outside the bank. He will tell you everything you need to know. His name is Quirrell if you really want to know, not that that matters to me.  
  
Tom  
  
August 7th  
  
Draco,  
  
You were not there. Anyway, the matter in question wasn't there - the vault had been emptied that same day. You will be punished.  
  
Tom  
  
August 12th  
  
Tom,  
  
I am sorry, Tom. Really sorry. My son had to be fitted with his robes and to purchase items for school as he starts at Hogwarts in September. I will repay you.  
  
Draco  
  
August 27th  
  
Draco,  
  
I am still dissatisfied with your behaviour. Your son does not matter to me - you serve me and me only. You must decide where your loyalties lie. I will be passing as a Professor at Hogwarts, so maybe I could have a little 'fun' with your son.  
  
Tom  
  
September 20th  
  
Tom,  
  
My son has gone. I have decided - I will remain faithful to you, just don't harm my son. I feel that he would be a loyal follower, despite his disobedience and insolent manner at home. Perhaps the school will knock some manners into him - it is not working here. His mother sobs in his room with him, or I just lock him in his room. I was hoping, perhaps, if you could, keep an eye on him?  
  
Draco  
  
October 1st  
  
Draco,  
  
Your son has excellent potential as a follower. Be proud of yourself, although I disagree that he has a lack of manners. I think he shows an excellent quality of manners - you show excellent parenting skills and I believe you ought to continue with your methods.   
  
I have another plan. I think I shall give Dumbledore and his students an extra surprise this Hallowe'en. I shall let in a troll to cause a diversion so I am able to retrieve the matter in question. Yet there is a small problem. One of us, Severus, knows that I am here. He keeps trying to stop me. I am going to Hogsmeade with the staff this weekend. I have yet another plan. I will reveal all soon.  
  
I also must mention that he is here. It's all his fault - if only I had killed him when I had the chance and there would be less Mudbloods in this pitiful world.  
  
Tom  
  
October 20th  
  
Tom,  
  
Thank you for your compliment, Tom. I believe that a fair beating on my son is enough to keep him in shape. Feel free to do so if you need to, I know I said before not to hurt my son, but I felt in a vulnerable position. I do love him so much though, but it was how I was brought up.  
  
Excellent news on the new plan. You must let me know how that goes soon. Isn't there anything else you can do about Severus? Why not throw him at that dog you gave that half-giant last year? That would finish him off, unless you told him how to calm it?  
  
Ah, the boy in question. I have had letters from my son about him. He's on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the new Seeker. The youngest in a century so I'm told. Well, you now have new canon, so are you thinking what I'm thinking?  
  
Draco  
  
November 1st  
  
Draco,  
  
The plan went spectacularly wrong. Yes, I got everyone out of the way, but my counterpart fainted. I believe that my orders had got too much for him. However, when the students had left, I ran off to the location where the matter in question is situated, only to find Snape there. He was going to stop me doing what I was intended on doing. This is very bad behaviour - I will think of a way to punish him, but at the moment I have other things to tend to, like the dismissal of the boy. Instead, my counterpart fell to the floor and kept grabbing at Snape's legs, cutting one of them with his sharp nails. I think that will have to do for now. My counterpart and Snape were called to the girls' lavatory where we found the boy with a couple of others, where the troll had been felled. It was unconscious, due to the acts of this trio. I was disheartened to see that the troll had not killed him. I decided afterwards that I shall put Plan C into action - there is a Quidditch match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, on the 6th November. Of course, I want Slytherin to win, but to be honest, I do not care for such jolly times myself.  
  
Tom  
  
PS - touching story about your home-life. I was moved to tears. Yeah right. You know what happened to my muggle father, don't you? Why didn't you do the same? Please tell me you hadn't been taught the Forgiveable Curses (The others call them the Unforgiveable Curses. I think that really contradicts them, don't you think?) surely you have taught them to your son?  
  
November 3rd  
  
Tom,  
  
Sorry to hear that the next plan hadn't worked out. Things aren't working out - not going in your favour are they? Don't take that the wrong way.  
  
I had been taught the Curses - I just did not have the confidence to use them as I was terrified.  
  
I hope my son has been behaving himself.  
  
Draco  
  
November 8th  
  
Draco,  
  
The Quidditch match, again, was a failure. I was cursing the boy's broom but Snape was using the counter-curse to save the boy's life! I would have thought he would have shown a little more initiative. A Loyal One would want me to return to full strength again. I hope you too share this line of thought. He has stopped me from getting the matter in question and now he stops me from killing the boy. I would have succeeded in my deed had his robes not caught on fire and broken my eye contact.   
  
I am glad to hear you had been taught the Curses. I would be more than slightly worried had you not been taught them. I hope you have kept that old diary of mine in good condition. If my plans do not go to my expectations, I will have to ask you to pass it on to another. Try to choose wisely Draco - I'm looking for an innocent, young girl. I trust she will not be hard to find. Am glad that I preserved a little of myself in there. We must have plenty of back-up. Plus, Nagini is getting hungry, so I'm told by Wormtail. He has taken the form of his rat Animagus and lives with a boy. He changes back at night and keeps in contact with me from time to time. That is what I like to see from all of you. Nagini has been refined to the Chamber of Secrets in the school but can only be set loose under my command. But I am sure I can manipulate another to set her free. I have taken food down to her but she wants real food.  
  
Tom  
  
November 15th  
  
Tom,  
  
Sorry to hear the plan had gone wrong. Snape does seem very disloyal, I agree.  
  
Yes, your old diary is still in tact, although I have not used it. I do not see the need seeing as I'm already in contact with you like this, although I would much prefer the diary as this seems to be very public. Anything could happen.  
  
Draco  
  
November 22nd  
  
Draco,  
  
I have managed to get the half-giant drunk and I gave it a dragon's egg. It also told me how to get past the three-headed dog. This should get it into Azkaban for sure - I think it knows too much for its own good. I have noticed the boy and his two friends on many an occasion visiting it in its hut. I could really do with some help here, Draco. Snape is stopping me at every possible moment, and I have only been in contact with you and Wormtail mostly since I have been here. And my counterpart is getting weak. I am weak. I'll have to look in a book in the library to help me find some way of getting stronger without Snape stopping me every five minutes.  
  
Tom  
  
December 1st  
  
Tom,  
  
I have a way of helping you gain strength whilst you think of a way of getting to the matter in question. I have done some research and the blood of a unicorn will prolong your life, even in a near-fatal situation. However, it will give you a half-life, that will curse you forever. You must weigh up your choices. The matter in question is of course, the best route to take to gain strength but that is not possible.  
  
Draco  
  
February 21st  
  
Draco,  
  
Sorry for leaving this letter for so long, and I thank you for the information you sent me. I have had to resort to the use of the unicorn blood - luckily there are some roaming the Forest and so I go out in my cloak to conceal my identity. I wish I didn't have to use the blood, but I now have enough strength. Still Snape is stopping me from getting the matter in question - I may have to curse or drug him.  
  
I am going to let you know how your son is doing in my lessons. He is performing exceptionally well and I have had no need to punish him. You must feel proud of having such a charming young man as your son. Normally I just fall asleep under the turban as the lessons are all about Defence against the dark arts - I wish I hadn't chosen this human to live off as he teaches the subject that means very little to me, but when I have been awake I have noticed what a polite boy your son is.  
  
I'll let you know any further developments.  
  
Tom  
  
May 12th (5am)  
  
Draco,  
  
Help me. I need you. The boy has just been in the forest and has seen me with my slain unicorn, drinking its blood. I think that the centaur told him its properties and that they have worked out that I am in the Forest. I need to go down the trapdoor and flee from here. I need to get out. I need to break free from all this secrecy and pretence.  
  
Tom  
  
May 12th (6pm)  
  
Tom,  
  
Be wary. Be careful. Just hex Snape, but do not kill him. We may be able to get him onto our side yet. And if the boy follows you, you know what to do.  
  
Draco  
  
May 30th  
  
Draco,  
  
I am in Albania, barely alive. I am living in some sort of wooded glade, having to bewitch my quill so it can write what I dictate to it. The plan failed - the boy found me and I tried to convince him to turn to our side with images of his parents in the Mirror, but he sussed that I was lying to him. I tried to kill the boy but he touched my counterpart, thus destroying the body. I am weak, very weak. I find the process of writing very tiring. We have only one hope until I can find strength again. The Diary. It's our only hope.  
  
Tom  
  
June 2nd  
  
Tom,  
  
I will, master. Our only hope.  
  
Draco 


End file.
